Monthly Archives: September 2011

My Drivers License and/or Passport and/or Green Card was stolen! What should I do?

If you find you have been robbed of any of the above items, read on. Note, some steps depend on others.

  1. Passport:

    • If you are abroad, go to the nearest embassy or consulate of your home country so they can issue you an emergency passport (for single use) so you can get home. Keep all receipts as you may be able to file a claim with your insurance company.
    • Once back in the US, look up the process to apply for a replacement passport, and put in the application ASAP. It will take a few weeks for the new passport to arrive, and as you will need it for the license and green card, you should do this step as soon as possible.

  2. Green Card:

    • If you are still abroad, visit the closest US consulate and explain the situation. They will verify your information and issue you 2 sealed letters, one addressed to the “Transportation Company” (airline) and another to the “Immigration officer at the Port of Entry”. These letters are good to let you travel back (once) to the US. Again, keep all receipts as you may be able to file a claim with your insurance company.
    • Back in the US, apply online for a replacement green card. You’ll need your passport for the biometrics appointment (comes in 3 weeks or so) so you want to time the Passport Step 1 above accordingly, if applicable.
    • The green card may take several months to arrive, you should make an appointment with the closest USCIS field office to get a stamp in your pasport with your “A number”. This is required in lieu of a green card if you leave and want to re-enter the US. It is also required for applying for a drivers license.

  3. Drivers License:

    • If your previous license was of issued in another state than your current home state you need to visist the original state’s DMV to obtain a “Driving History Abstract”. This is basically a record of your driving history and your new state will need this if your old state’s license is not available.
    • Once you have the “A number” stamp in your valid passport (or the green card itself), take the applicable documents for ID (point system), proof of address etc, and visit your local DMV to apply for a replacement license.

Disclaimer: the above information is provided based on my first hand experience with having all three items stolen in Paris, and the subsequent processes I encountered in the state of New Jersey. Your mileage may vary, but I would say the general process would be the same. Keep your head about you, be patient, and good luck. Don’t forget to follow these safety tips for your next trip abroad.

Aggregate!

As of a few days ago, the pickpocketmap.com home page shows an aggregate map of all the regions that have posts, with a color coding to show incident density. Similar to a heat map, the highest densities of incidents appear the brightest and the lower densities have a lighter fill. I think this is a more helpful view than showing a certain city by default, or all the posts as is on a world map.

As an aside, we’re at two important milestone… we completed 1 month of operations on the 18th, and we have 75 posts! As the dataset grows, and as time elapses, analytics such as % increase/decrease over periods of time etc will be useful, and am thinking will work on those around the 3 month mark. I estimate we will be at around 300 posts by then, although I’m fairly sure there is a seasonal imbalance (fewer tourists in the winter).

Thats it for now, have a good and safe week.